Actually, I don't think I'm going to do a proper review on Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix. If I do, it would be completely biased. ;)

Let's just say that it was pretty good. It turned out much better than the past 4 films, & even though Order of the Phoenix is the thickest book as of yet, it was compressed into a mere 2 hours & 18 minutes, comparably shorter than Goblet of Fire, & even Chamber of Secrets.

They did take out loads of things, like the trip to St. Mungo & Dobby, Cho Chang's friend, Ginny & her dating habits, the doors in the Department of Mysteries but generally, it was pretty good. Those had to be edited to fit into a friendly move.

Dolores Umbridge was hateful, but she wasn't villainous. Which was, I guess, the purpose. She wasn't a Voldemort supporter, & all the stuff she did was to protect the Ministry's interests. But she was still hateful. Imelda Staunton, a veteran actress, played the part of Umbridge well, complete with pink ensembles & little giggles. But in my mind, Dolores Umbridge is fatter, squatter, & just way uglier. Without the outfit & the little snorts of giggles, Imelda would have come across matronly.

Luna Lovegood was well-casted. Evanna Lynch has a pretty sing-song voice, & every word came out melodious & airy. She had wide eyes, & an unfocused sort of stare. & she was really cute.

I was afraid that Helena Bonham Carter wouldn't be an ideal choice for Bellatrix Lestrange. She never struck me as someone who could play evil well, but she did. She has a really square jaw & haunted eyes, & complete with the crazy hair & the dark make-up & pasty complexion, she was awesome as Lestrange. It was as if the role was written specially for her. She succeeded in giving me the creeps.

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& like what many said, the archway scene was a bit off. If they had stuck to the original of having a rough stone archway, complete with a thin black veil fluttering, the effect would have been amazing. The swirling archway just didn't give you the feeling of a mysterious dais, & the way Sirius Black died was too sudden, & too emotionless. In the book, Sirius was fighting Bellatrix all the way till she did a spell (the spell wasn't mentioned in the book) & a jet of light hit Sirius & he fell backwards into the archway. Everyone harbored the thought that the archway is a mystery & Sirius isn't dead. But in the movie, Sirius was fighting with Lucius Malfoy when Bellatrix just came in from the side & yelled 'Avada Kedavra', which IS the killing curse. & Sirius just fell backwards into the archway. All over in 5 seconds. I didn't even have time to react. Daryl looked at me to check whether I was crying (I cried when Cedric died in Goblet of Fire, & I cried all 3 times I watched it because the scene was well-played out, & the way Harry cried was just heart-wrenching.)

& that Sirius scene sort of killed the little inkling of hope in me that Sirius is still alive.

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I still don't like this Dumbledore. The first Dumbledore, the late Richard Harris, was kindly, strong despite his age, & his voice, although shaky, portrayed strength. This Dumbledore - Michael Gambon, is way too aggressive for my liking. Dumbledore exudes an aura of calmness, is strong & wise. Yet Gambon's Dumbledore is aggressive & fierce. I lonch like. I've never liked his Dumblefore ever since he took over from Prisoner of Azkaban when Richard Harris passed away.

I was happy when they made Cho Chang the snitch. I mean, they made her unlikeable. Everyone in Dumbledore's Army snubbed her. & I was all like, "Serves the bitch right." Then they had to redeem her by saying she had Veritaserum. Phooey. I wanted to yell 'WHORE!' when Harry Potter & Cho Chang kissed. Idea given by a girl on Neopets who apparently hates Cho Chang as much as I do. But I didn't. After all, there were kids in the theatre you know? HATE CHO CHANG.

Matthew Lewis aka Neville Longbottom has shot up. He's skinnier, taller & much better looking now.

The guy playing Seamus Finnigan looks like Wayne Rooney.

& I played Battlefield 2 with boyfriend & Skye on Wednesday night. It was awesome. Skye shrieks when she gets killed. But she handles the tank pretty damn well. & we were playing against computer players & it was funny. We were all like, 'AHAHAHAHA! RAPE THEIR SPAWNPOINT!!!' I like Battlefield 2. I'm gonna make sure that when I buy a new laptop, it can support it. :D